Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will take pole position in tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix with Redbull’s Max Verstappen incurring an engine penalty.

Championship leader Verstappen was first in today’s qualifying session but will start 15th after taking an engine penalty. This elevates Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to pole position in tomorrow’s race.

Verstappen is not alone in taking an engine penalty, with championship rival Charles Leclerc also taking new engine parts as well as Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris, Zhou Guanyu, Mick Schumacher, and Valtteri Bottas. However, Bottas has been able to use a loophole that means that he has a 20-place penalty in place of a ‘back of grid’ penalty that the other drivers have incurred. This means that he will start ahead of these drivers and so will start 14th tomorrow.

The influx of engine penalties has led to a mixed-up grid with four teams locking out the first two rows. Redbull’s Sergio Perez joins Sainz on the front row of the grid whilst Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton make up the second row.

In addition, Williams driver Alex Albon is starting 6th in his best starting position for the British team. Albon also made his first Q3 appearance this season, meaning that every driver has gotten into the final stage of qualifying in 2022.

The combination of a mixed-up grid and the overtaking opportunities Spa Francorchamps provides will no doubt make this year’s Belgian Grand Prix an exciting race to watch.

Will it be a second win of the season for Sainz? Or will we see Verstappen and Leclerc fight it out for the victory? Or even the return of Mercedes to the top step of the podium? Tune into the Belgian Grand Prix tomorrow at 2pm BST to find out!